Around and about San Francisco
After nearly 24 hours of flying and sitting, I arrived in San Francisco where I am visiting my cousin Lacy and her boyfriend Robbie. With numerous phone calls and various forms of public transporation, I arrived at their apartment which is in an Art Deco building in the Marina district. I first had to catch the BART into the city and then walk a few blocks to catch a bus. It was the bus that went through Chinatown. Being only 1 of 3 non Asian people on the bus led me to realize that I was on the right path. After arriving at the apartment, I went do some shopping and then hung out on the marina while Lacy and Robbie went with a realtor to do some house hunting. From the marina, I had great views of Alcatraz and the Golden Gate bridge. After they got home we went eat and then did some grocery shopping. I bought lots of power bars as I planned to do some hiking around the area. As my stay here is during the week, Lacy and Robbie are working. This means that when I leave in the morning, I can’t come back until they get home from work as they have the only keys.
On Monday, I decided to walk across the Golden Gate Bridge. I headed down the Bay trail through the Presidio to get to the bridge. I had to pass through Crissy Field which was an airfield in the early days of flight from which cross country flight attempts were made. There were numerous people out walking their dogs. Compared to the scrawny dogs on Easter Island, these dogs are positively fat. I made it to the bridge and walked across. The pedestrian lane was shared by both walkers and bikers. I soon grew annoyed with the people on the bikes. They know they have to share the lane yet they try to go flying across the bridge and give people dirty looks who don’t get out of the their way fast enough. I was greatly amused by the strategically placed Emergency/Crisis Counseling phones all along the bridge. Once on the other side of the bridge, I found a path leading up into the hills overlooking San Francisco Bay. A large portion of this area is National Park so it is undeveloped. From the hills I got panoramic views of the harbor though I was a little disappointed by the haze.
On Tuesday, I used public tranportation to get out to Muir Woods which is the closest grove of redwoods to the city. I first had to take a bus to Marin City. Once there I had about an 1.5 hour wait for a bus called the Marin City Stagecoach which took me to within 1.5 miles of Muir Woods. Figuring out the bus needed to get to Muir Woods was a little complicated. At first the Stagecoach bus driver told me that he was not going to Muir Woods and then said he was. I am still a little confused about that one. After I got off the bus, I had a 1.5 mile hike downhill the whole way (of course you know what this meant for my return hike to the bus stop). I spent the next four hours hiking on trails in the park admiring the redwoods and the many small streams and waterfalls in the area. The famous San Francisco fog also decided to make its appearance. When I got out of the trees, I could see the whole Bay Area was covered in a dense blanket of fog. When I was finished hiking, I saw that I had just enough time to catch the 3:30 bus back into town, so I walked as fast I could manage up the 1.5 miles back to the bus stop. All together I hiked about 11 miles. I took the Stagecoach back to the bus stop where I could catch a bus back into San Francisco. The bus I needed was pulling up as I got off the Stagecoach. I ran and waved my hands at the bus driver who stopped to let me on. As I got on the bus, I heard someone holler wait I forgot something. The man went flying off the bus and then got back on. He sat down in the seat across the aisle from me. He then felt the need to show me that it was a bottle of Johnny Walker Black Label (the good stuff as he called it). The bus went on it’s way. He asked if I had a cell phone and if he could use it to call his mother. My first inclination was to say no, but as I may need help as I travel, I am trying to be nice about these sorts of things. He dialed his “mother” and the conversation went something like this. (of course I only heard one side)
“Why are you spreading rumors about me?”
“You know I passed my drug test.”
“Stop telling people I am knocking on your door and harrassing you.”
“Hello? Hello?”
He then asked if I had a pen to write down a number he was trying to get. I told him no so as not to encourage him anymore. He returned my phone and offered me a half eaten bag of M&M’s as payment which I politely declined. A few moments later, he passed out(?) in his seat and the M&M’s went flying everywhere and the half eaten ones in his mouth fell on his shirt staining it. He woke up and picked up all the M&M’s from the floor and realized he had stained his shirt. He then tore his shirt off and changed into another one that he had with him. He proceeded to eat the M&M’s that he had gotten from the floor. Passing out (?) again he slept until I got to my stop. This has got to be the most interesting encounter that I had using Bay Area transportation. Other than that, I found it to be clean and very easy to use.
Today, I am resting as my feet hurt. I plan to go out this afternoon in search of the world’s crookedest street as well as buy tickets for a trip to Alcatraz.
Tags: San Francisco, San Fransisco, Travel
cjun
March 14th, 2007 at 11:38 am
Barry, Enjoying your blog. I’ve been a ardent reader of Paul Theroux’s travel books (Great Railway Bazaar, Pillars of Hercules, etc), your adventure reminds me of a combination of all his trips. Sounds like you have a really good attitude about your travels. Be safe, have fun, continue to keep everyone updated!
March 14th, 2007 at 3:18 pm
Sounds like your have some exciting adventures in San Fran.
Thanks for keeping us informed.
March 14th, 2007 at 3:32 pm
B,
Did you post your itinerary anywhere on this site?
March 14th, 2007 at 3:46 pm
I’m still laughing about the guy on the bus!
March 15th, 2007 at 5:57 am
Good to see you’re doing well. Stay off the Black Label, though.
March 16th, 2007 at 12:47 pm
Colorful people eh?
March 16th, 2007 at 1:31 pm
Barry,
Sounds good so far. I really want to visit Figi one day. I am enjoying your comments, especially the ones for the “touchy feely” people. Take care. Love U